Thursday, September 22, 2011

Thou Shall Not Kill: Standing Against Murder

On September 21, a day of prayer for World Peace, a man named Troy Davis became the thirty fifth human being to be murdered by the United States government in 2011. Whether or not he was guilty is irrelevant, although the possibility of his innocence makes his death that much more horrifying.

Killing is wrong. Legally sanctioned killing does not make it right. Guilt does not make it right. The death of the killer does not change the status of their victim. Every human being has a value that we have no right to destroy. Not upholding the dignity of human life cheapens and diminishes us.

Arguments for deterrence are refuted by scholarly research every year. There are more murders in states with the death penalty than in states without it (1). There are a disproportionate number of people of color and mentally ill on Death Row (2). One hundred and thirty eight individuals who were scheduled to die at the government's hands have been exonerated in the past 38 years (2). That is 138 innocent people who would have been put to death. Religious, civil rights, political leaders, even victim's families, constantly plead for rational and merciful justice (3). The entire civilized world opposes the barbarity of the death penalty, except for the United States. In our bloodthirsty nation, over 63 percent of the population supports capital punishment.

Mahatma Gandhi said “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” May God have mercy on us for our inhumanity.

14 comments:

Thanks so much for your comment (although I hate calling you Cranky!! lol)

This was easy to write and hard to publish. I was/am very nervous about offending people I care about who might feel differently. But I feel so strongly about the immorality of capital punishment, I couldn't stay silent.

I hope people who have a different perspective agree to disagree. We all have to live our beliefs.

Pricilla - Thanks for your comment! The way I look at it is if someone is going to refer to the Bible, it boils down to this:

Matthew 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

It is hard to make an argument for capital punishment with that staring you in the face.

i agree that the death of a killer does not make it right but what must be done to the killer? there has to be a deterrent to stop people from killing especially innocent and helpless victims. if not death penalty, what would stop these monsters?

Bing - I think life imprisonment with no possibility of parole is a humane alternative. And sadly, I think there are some damaged creatures out there who are going to kill no mater what. They are so depraved nothing will stop them. But the death penalty does not stop them now.

It is frightening to think of the evil that is out there. But meeting evil with more evil is not the solution.

Anji - you must have left your comment while I was answering the last one.

I cannot imagine the horrible torture of death row. I believe if someone was damaged before they end up there, being there only makes things worse. Even the whole concept of a last meal makes me feel ill.

I've been on a murder trial jury, but he pled guilty before the trial was over. I don't think I could have voted for the death penalty, but I thankfully didn't have to test my beliefs on that one.

I can agree with your point of view as long as you are also against abortion (other than cases where the life of the mother is at stake, and possibly rape and incest). So many people who are against the death penalty are also pro abortion, which makes no sense to me. If you're Pro-Life you're pro life, period!

DB - that must have been harrowing! I can only imagine. It is hard to have a belief such as this and then be confronted by pure evil, such as with the Petit murders. I still believe two wrongs do not make a right.

I do believe that life begins at conception and I am personally opposed to abortion. However, I do not want to judge other women who have felt they had no alternative. Ultimately, we all have to answer to God for our choices.

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I am a 60-something writer and I spend much of my time pretending I don’t have Multiple Sclerosis. I have limited success at that. Unfortunately, life did not think MS was quite enough and I am also fighting Stage Four breast cancer. The rest of the time I write, I read, I knit, I sew. I obsessively watch documentaries about the British Royal Family. Ok, just kidding about that last one. Sort of. It’s NOT obsessive.
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